A linky 101 for new bloggers

If you’re new to blogging, you may have heard of the term linky. In this overview, I will share the reasons to join linkies, and my tips as a fellow new blogger.

What is a linky?

Linkies, link-ups, linky parties are all different ways of saying the same thing. A linky is a (usually weekly) event hosted by another blogger whereby you can link one or more of your own posts to the page. Other bloggers do the same, and you can all read and comment on each other’s work.

This overview is not a guide on how to add linky badges and link up, but what the benefit is for a new blogger. If you’re looking for the ‘how to’ guide, you’ll find an excellent post from Cuddle Fairy here.

So why should I join a linky?

As a fellow new blogger, here are the reasons I’d urge you to join link-ups:

You attract readers

As you’re probably well aware by now, writing content and sitting back to let views flood in doesn’t work. You need to put your work out there and linkies are a great way to do that. As a new blogger, I can really see the difference in my daily blog views when I link-up posts vs when I don’t.

You find new blogs to read

If you don’t know where to start reading and finding inspiration for your niche, linkies really come in handy. I’ve found some amazingly helpful and exciting posts through link-ups that I’d have otherwise missed. Linking up regularly also helps identify the blogs you enjoy the most.

People comment on your work

Comments are basically bloggers currency. The more comments you have on a post, the more likely the content is something people can engage with. This makes more people want to read it and others (businesses, brands etc) take notice. Getting comments can be a fruitless task with so many readers hard-pressed for time, but since linkies are all about comments, joining one is a great way to boost your blog posts.

You become part of the blogging community

Regularly joining the same linkies will ensure that you get to recognise familiar bloggers, and that they in turn, recognise you. The hosts may also keep a list of regular linkers and tweet them with a reminder to link – meaning more exposure on social media. Being part of the blogging community is an excellent way to build relationships with other bloggers. This will help support your journey as a new blogger. And everyone really is so supportive.

Hosting linky opportunities

Joining linkies is pretty much essential if you want to end up hosting a linky one day. Otherwise, how will you know the ropes? Hosting a successful linky would mean blog exposure, plenty of blog visitors/comments and a huge boost to your Domain Authority. You may not be thinking of DA just yet, but it’s important if you want to make it as a blogger, and hosting or even joining linkies is a great way to improve it.

Some things to watch out for…

As with everything, there are a few rules to follow. Although there aren’t really any penalties for rule-breakers, it isn’t fair for the rest of the community who are doing their bit. As a new blogger, my guess is you want to stay on the right side of your new friends.

So please always:

Make sure you read the rules – each linky has it’s own set so familiarise yourself before linking!

Comment on what you’re supposed to – don’t just link and run off. Check how many/which posts the hosts require you to comment on and make sure you do that as the minimum. Commenting on more as a new blogger may benefit you by encouraging more people to your site.

Don’t skip adding the badge – it may seem difficult to add the badge, but trust me, it’s just a quick copy and paste. Adding the badge ensures the linky host has a back-link (which boosts their DA) and allows other bloggers to idenitfy the linkies you have joined.

Remember to tweet the host – this is great for social media exposure so don’t skip this out! Once you’ve linked, drop the host/s a tweet with the linky hashtag and a link to your post and they’ll retweet. This reaches their Twitter audience, which might help to pull in a few additional readers.

Don’t get too bogged down and forget to write new content – very important for a new blogger. Linkies do take up a large chunk of time if you are joining at least one a day. There’s usually a minimum of around 3-5 posts to read and comment on, with more if you’re feeling up to it. It can be very easy to get bogged down in the linking/commenting cycle and get distracted from writing new content. Ultimately, great content is what’s going to help propel your blog into the dizzy heights of fame (obviously going to happen), so set aside time to get the important stuff done first.

And that’s it!

I hope this overview has been helpful. If you have any questions or think I should add something else to the list, then please let me know below! 🙂

This post was a really good idea. I had read about linkies for a while but didn’t really understand the point of them at first. Wish I had this post to give me the heads up! Thanks for writing it Lucy! #TheListLinky

Hi there, my name is Lucy and I live with my husband and baby daughter in the Midlands. Muffin top mummy is where I share all my sensible thoughts on the joys of parenting and the celebration of love-handles.
info@muffintopmummy.com